I don't think a sales tax increase would be good. Instead they should raise income taxes and have fees to pay for some things, like a new toll on new highways to pay off the costs of construction.

Sure you could raise income tax yes and have toll roads but if you add up all the taxes at all 3 levels it is a fair amount and its going to come to a point where people will not be able to afford the taxes.

I think Ontario has to be very careful with selling an asset like the LCBO. Even Don Drummond didn't outright say sell the LCBO. He said build a business case and if the long term net benefit to Ontario is substantial then look at selling the LCBO, otherwise don't.

Sure you could raise income tax yes and have toll roads but if you add up all the taxes at all 3 levels it is a fair amount and its going to come to a point where people will not be able to afford the taxes.

But the fact is we are not paying that much and most people can afford it. And if it i done based on income, then the people that can afford it, will pay for it.

I don't think a sales tax increase would be good. Instead they should raise income taxes and have fees to pay for some things, like a new toll on new highways to pay off the costs of construction.

Toll roads would work IMO, including on existing rural freeways (NOT on some existing urban freeways, particularly in the GTA but also in Ottawa and Hamilton) due to the potential for extreme congestion on parallel roads, even if transit absorbs some of the traffic). However, on highways like the 401 that serve long-distance travel, the per kilometre toll would have to be much lower than on commuter-focused highways. For example, a trip from Kingston to Oshawa (distance of 196 km) would have a toll of $9.80 at 5 cents per kilometre, which could only be increased legally by no more than 1 cent every 5 years.

Tolls should be prohibited, however, in Northern Ontario (north of the Severn River in MTO's Northeast and Northwest Regions), due to the lack of alternate routes in most cases.

The NDP will get the wrath of unions - and a huge one - if they support the budget. They will likely forever oppose the NDP (and support who, the Greens? Communists? a new left-wing party?) as a result.

No one is ready for another election, the Dippers will find a way to support ("okay everyone, call in sick today") so they can take credit for the business tax freeze while letting Dalty die on the union pyre.

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Calgary: We do more DP's per capita than anyone else!!

No one is ready for another election, the Dippers will find a way to support ("okay everyone, call in sick today") so they can take credit for the business tax freeze while letting Dalty die on the union pyre.

But the NDP would also take a big hit from union support as well. Most likely, they would stay home and endorse no one, or support the Green Party.

Unions wouldn't support the Green Party, because it is official Green Party policy to eliminate union donations to political parties, and I think unions would find that more offensive than having a party they effectively control vote—once—for a budget that isn't totally favourable to them.

If another election is called, the PCs might win. Unions don't want that.

I don't know many union members who support the Green Party. Most of the Greens supporters aren't unionized, and their policies in favour of unions are nowhere near as strong as their policies in favour of corporations. As far as Unions are concerned, the Green Party, especially the Green Party of Ontario (which is still relatively centrist/centre right when it comes to economic issues) are no better than the Liberals. If unions don't support the NDP regardless of how it votes, they'll basically shoot themselves in the foot. If they think they have too small a voice in Queens Park now, they'll have even less if they fracture their vote.

I think the Liberals are doing a pretty good job with what they have to work with.

I don't know what people expect a government to do? Firing everyone and gutting things are not the way to go.
The way the Liberals are doing things is fine. Protecting what matters while finding efficiencies.

Unions wouldn't support the Green Party, because it is official Green Party policy to eliminate union donations to political parties, and I think unions would find that more offensive than having a party they effectively control vote—once—for a budget that isn't totally favourable to them.

If another election is called, the PCs might win. Unions don't want that.

I don't know many union members who support the Green Party. Most of the Greens supporters aren't unionized, and their policies in favour of unions are nowhere near as strong as their policies in favour of corporations. As far as Unions are concerned, the Green Party, especially the Green Party of Ontario (which is still relatively centrist/centre right when it comes to economic issues) are no better than the Liberals. If unions don't support the NDP regardless of how it votes, they'll basically shoot themselves in the foot. If they think they have too small a voice in Queens Park now, they'll have even less if they fracture their vote.

Who would they support then, the Communist Party? That would be absolute suicide for the union movement, since they would be seen as extreme radicals and that would push the next Conservative government to introduce right-to-work laws.

They will support the NDP. They always support the NDP. If anything, the triggering of an election will create an even bigger push among the unions to get people to support the NDP in the hopes that the NDP will be able to form government.

Without a majority and some reluctance to support this budget, will it pass?
I saw a media report that quoted a poll that said people in Ontario would support another provincial election. Can't remember getting asked.
In our current situation, we can't afford it.
I also see that there will be a lawsuit over the cancellation of the gas fired power generating plant in Oakville. Wonder if the price for the votes were worth it?

I would like to know why people would want an election now, and what they think another government would do?

The fact of the matter is, we can have a pretty good budget like this one which protects services while reducing spending.
Or we can have a slash and burn budget which you can be sure is what conservatives would do.

So I really don't know what people are complaining about. Do we want a repeat of Harris? I don't think so.

I would like to know why people would want an election now, and what they think another government would do?

The fact of the matter is, we can have a pretty good budget like this one which protects services while reducing spending.
Or we can have a slash and burn budget which you can be sure is what conservatives would do.

So I really don't know what people are complaining about. Do we want a repeat of Harris? I don't think so.

Well, except for the fact that wasteful programs like the Green Energy Act and full-day kindergarten are kept, this is a pretty Harris-like budget.

This basically is a slash and burn budget, it just slashed and burned everything but health care and education.

I'm pretty surprised he didn't download a whole bunch of things to the municipalities.

If anything needed to be slashed and burned, it was those two areas - I am sure there is enough waste in those two departments ALONE to balance the budget in Year 1 without significant cuts to anything else that isn't a pet project, and only one tax hike needed (the corporate tax).

* Allow more private involvement in health care and purchase of private insurance that can cover basic and advanced services
* Scrap the 4 separate duplicate school boards and merge them all into one
* End full-day kindergarten

Will this budget carry?
I doubt the Liberals will buy into all the concessions the NDP want. And if they do it will hurt their position.
I think an unbiased review of both health and education would be real eye opener.
If private facilities were allowed to charge OHIP, a government set going rate it may provide the incentive for more companies to start up in areas that are not served or under served?